Microwave-Assisted Bitumen Extraction With Vacuum-Assisted Sediment Filtration

Active Publication Date: 2016-04-21
EXXONMOBIL UPSTREAM RES CO
View PDF3 Cites 0 Cited by
  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Geochemical analyses of bitumen and sediments from highly biodegraded oil sand samples presents substantial business and analytical challenges for routine characterization.
Some laboratories may lack the capability or turn-around time to adequately provide data on a daily basis.
Conventional geochemical extraction techniques are limited by the high level of bitumen saturation in oil sands samples and the decreased solubility of the asphaltene-rich bitumen in traditional organic solvents, requiring substantial time and solvent volume requirements in order to provide quantities of extracted sediment suitable for characterization.
Standard geochemical extraction techniques, such as Soxhlet or Soxtec extractions, are limited in their extraction efficiency by the azeotropic boiling point of the solvent mixture under normal conditions.
High levels of bitumen saturation (e.g., greater than 1%) in oil sand samples, combined with the decreased extraction efficiency of conve

Method used

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
View more

Image

Smart Image Click on the blue labels to locate them in the text.
Viewing Examples
Smart Image
  • Microwave-Assisted Bitumen Extraction With Vacuum-Assisted Sediment Filtration
  • Microwave-Assisted Bitumen Extraction With Vacuum-Assisted Sediment Filtration

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

Example

[0012]In order to provide reliable and relevant sample preparation to address questions related to daily mining operations, any analytical extraction technique for oil sands samples should address a number of criteria: (a) it needs to have a high extraction efficiency in order to allow the extraction of large volumes of bitumen and provide adequate sediment mass for routine mineralogical analyses; (b) the extraction technique should use the minimal volume of organic solvent necessary in order to minimize potential environmental impacts; (c) it needs to be relatively simple and fast for rapid turn-around, on the order of a few hours, to provide samples for “just-in-time” analyses at the mine site; and (d) the technique must not alter either the mineralogical or geochemical composition of the sample so that prepared samples are reflective of the composition of the native sample. For purposes of the present document, including the claims, the term “oil sand(s)” will be understood to in...

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to view more

PUM

No PUM Login to view more

Abstract

Method for characterizing a heavily biodegraded oil sand ore sample by microwave-assisted bitumen extraction. Vacuum-filtration of solvent-extracted bitumen and sediments provides a means to recover sediment fines down to a particle size of 0.8 μm, which is the analytical requirement for accurate mineralogical analysis of the clay mineral fraction. The method may be completed in hours, making it suitable for “just-in-time” analyses at the mine site. The recovered sediment and sediment fines are suitable for characterization using traditional analytical techniques to understand mineralogy, petrology, and reservoir properties.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62 / 066,203, filed Oct. 20, 2014, entitled MICROWAVE-ASSISTED BITUMEN EXTRACTION WITH VACUUM-ASSISTED SEDIMENT FILTRATION, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This disclosure relates generally to the field of geophysical prospecting for hydrocarbons and, more particularly, to oil sand evaluation. Specifically, the disclosure relates to a method for microwave-assisted extraction of bitumen from oil sands for characterization of the oil sands.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Geochemical analyses of bitumen and sediments from highly biodegraded oil sand samples presents substantial business and analytical challenges for routine characterization. Access to data from rapid, reliable characterization of oil sands bitumen and sediment is critical to daily operations and business decisions. Some laboratories may lack the...

Claims

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to view more

Application Information

Patent Timeline
no application Login to view more
IPC IPC(8): G01N1/44G01N1/04H01J49/04G01N33/28G01N30/06
CPCG01N1/44G01N33/2835G01N2030/027H01J49/0468G01N1/04G01N30/06C10G1/045C10G32/02C10G33/02C10G2300/1033C10G2300/208C10G1/04
Inventor JOHNSON, ADAM P.LO CASCIO, MAUROFARJO, SAMER F.
Owner EXXONMOBIL UPSTREAM RES CO
Who we serve
  • R&D Engineer
  • R&D Manager
  • IP Professional
Why Eureka
  • Industry Leading Data Capabilities
  • Powerful AI technology
  • Patent DNA Extraction
Social media
Try Eureka
PatSnap group products

Browse by: Latest US Patents, China's latest patents, Technical Efficacy Thesaurus, Application Domain, Technology Topic.

© 2024 PatSnap. All rights reserved.Legal|Privacy policy|Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement|Sitemap